Page 143 of River & Crown
Chosyn hugged me tight before stepping back. "Call me if you need anything. I won't be far, just in the waiting area."
I nodded, holding onto her warmth long after she was gone. I slowly made my way over to Honor's side. Seeing him like this, so still and what had to be his version of vulnerability, felt unreal. Most people lying in a hospital bed looked broken, but not him. True to his name, he laid there, bandages wrapped around his abdomen, looking strong and unyielding. His facehardened instead of softening because of the pain. Hearing he'd been shot shattered me, but looking at him now, I realized my worry was misplaced. No matter what, Honor would always be Honor.
A protector.
A leader.
The love of my life.
The weight of that brought tears to my eyes. As proud as I am of him, I couldn't ignore the truth. His need to protect his family and those he empathized with would always cast a shadow over our relationship.
"Navy," he groaned.
I quickly wiped my eyes, forcing a weary smile to grace my face as his eyes fluttered open.
"I'm here, baby," I whispered.
His weakened gaze drank me in, full of love. Slowly, his hands lifted from the bed and reached toward my chin. Pinching it gently between his fingers, he guided my lips to his.
"Don't cry over a nigga," he rasped against my lips. "I'm gon' always be good. I love you too much to let death separate us."
Right then, I pressed my lips against his, letting my fear melt away. The only thing that mattered was the truth. I loved Honor, and he loved me.
Chapter 37
Crown Gravehart
Standing out on the balcony attached to River's bedroom, I watched the sun rise and settle into the sky. It was beautiful, peaceful even, but I couldn't figure out what made it worth waking up at five-thirty every morning to see. To me, once you've seen one sunrise, you've seen them all. But every morning, like her life depended on it, River dragged herself out of bed, tossed on that ugly pink robe she loved, and stepped out here. Just not today. This morning, the bed stayed still. No sound of her wrestling with the blankets. The robe hung untouched on its usual hook, and on the balcony, it was just me.
Thoughts of River wouldn't leave me alone since I pulled up here. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her wrapped in that nigga's arms. The fear in her voice as she called my name ran on a loop in my head. Fear pitched her tone up a few octaves, but it wasn't me she was scared for... it was that nigga. I caught the look of shock on her face when I shoved my gun in his mouth, like she ain't know the fucking lengths I was willing to go 'bout her. Her caring about his life proved there were still parts of River she kept from me.
My jaw tightened at the thought. When it unclenched, I let out a low, bitter laugh. River had me outside my body. I bared itall the night I told her about Emily. Laid my darkest secret at her feet, let a few tears slip. That type of vulnerability didn't happen unless a nigga felt safe. With River, I was the safest I've ever been in life.
Turning away from the street view, I walked back into the bedroom. I strolled over to my side of the bed and unplugged my phone from the charger. I flopped down and ran through my notifications. Wolfe, Chosyn, Gigi, and Syn had my message count looking crazy. Lynx and Rize both hit me, asking what the word was on Honor. I scrolled to River's contact and pressed call.
"Hello," her voice was groggy as hell and slightly bitter.
"Don't tell me I woke the early riser up." I chuckled, keeping shit light.
"Well, when you didn't fall asleep until an hour ago, waking up early doesn't seem too important." She yawned.
"Where you at? I was waiting on you to come home."
"The hospital. I stayed thinking you were going to come here since this is where Honor is."
"Wolfe was there with him. I wanted to talk with you and figured you wouldn't go to my crib to avoid me."
"Avoid you for what?" The frown in her voice seared through the phone. "A lot happened last night, some of which I wasn't a fan of, but I wouldn’t avoid you, Crown. We both needed to calm down. I also wouldn’t leave you to deal with the aftermath of your brother getting shot alone. Anything else we could've talked about later."
"Good to know."
Rubbing my hand along my jaw, I tensed as silence started to creep in. It wasn't the type that brought peace or reassurance. This was weighted, blanketed in all the things we weren't saying.
"Four."
"Crown."
"I'm coming to get you, ight? I won't keep you away for long, but we need to talk about ole boy who had his hands on you."
